"The seilis, the Orthan knife as you called it, is perhaps the most important tool to the Orth. Beyond its simple use as a tool, we believe that each knife carries with it the spirits of the animals it has carved.
Everyone save the newborns know how to use it, no matter which people they are from or what their duties entail. It is a tool that binds us all together."— Ahriin to Eryen Gostolva
The Curved Blade
The seilis is a knife used by the
Orth and is instantly recognizable from its wide curved blade. The handle may be positioned with equal parts on both sides of the tang or completely off to one side with a tang that is longer and offset from the center of the blade. The - non-cutting - sides of the blade may be straight or curved towards the handle.
Traditionally, the blade was made of stone but in recent decades it has become increasingly common to see them made of metal, the forged blades acquired from the blacksmith's in
Beldan. Handles are commonly made of wood or bone while other materials like stone and metal being used only on ceremonial seilis.
The technique for using the seilis on skins is to hold it so that the blade comes back underneath the arm and to pull it towards the user. While cutting it is held similarly but the cutting motion is different, though some people hold it as an extension of the arm and cut with a more punching-type motion.
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Remembrance
It is said that each seilis contains the spirit of each animal it was used to skin or carve. This is part of both a spiritual and cultural tradition where animals should be honored and nothing should be wasted.
If any part of an animal goes to waste, the seilis that was used to carve it is said to become cursed and that misfortune will befall its owner as the animal spirit becomes enraged at its life going to waste.
"If my horse had hands, he could use one too. He has watched me use it often enough."— Tasiir of the People of the Horse
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